Kenyan Restaurant Offers Bitcoin Payment Option and Cryptocurrency Lessons

One local restaurant in Kenya is allowing customers to pay using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Apart from that, the owner of the establishment is also offering tutorial lessons on how to use cryptocurrency.

Going Global with Bitcoin Payments

According to a BBC report, Betty’s Place, owned by Beatrice Wambugu, is accepting the use of Bitcoin and other virtual currencies. The restaurant, located in Nyeri, a rural town situated about 150km from Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, is famous for “nyama choma,” a barbecue mutton dish that is popular in the country.

Commenting on the acceptance of virtual currencies in the establishment, Wambugu said:

Since the world is becoming more global, my place is also becoming a global restaurant. I attract different customers from different parts of the world, whichever coin they have. As long as it’s a viable coin, we accept it.

Business appears to be booming for Betty’s place and Wambugu. In less than twelve months,  the establishment has significantly expanded, acquiring a nearby two-story hotel which has become the location for the restaurant.

Learn About Cryptocurrencies at Betty’s Place

Wambugu began venturing into Bitcoin about two years ago. These days, apart from running the business, the owner of Betty’s Place teaches the locals about how to use cryptocurrencies. With earnings from the virtual currency payments channel, Wambugu is perhaps incentivized to get more folks into spending digital currencies at the restaurant.

Commenting on the matter, Wambugu said:

I’ve set aside one day where I can teach my customers. Whoever asks about crypto-currencies: ‘How does it work? What is Bitcoin?’ I train them. At my place, it’s ‘nyama choma’ and ‘nyama Bitcoin.’

In rural areas in Africa and southeast Asia, cryptocurrencies provide a means of making payments for people who have traditionally had limited access to financial services. With the penetration of telecommunications into the most remote parts of these regions, virtual currency payment systems become replacements for banks, giving residents of such areas the ability to engage in commerce and trade.

In the West, restaurants and other retail outlets accepting virtual currencies is becoming an emerging trend. Recently, Live Bitcoin News reported about a New Jersey restaurant that now takes Bitcoin and Litecoin payments.

Do you think businesses like Betty’s place can contribute to improving the overall adoption of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Images courtesy of Shutterstock.